2013 marks the centenary of the birth of Norman Parkinson, one of the greats of British photography with an incomparably glamorous career which spanned seven decades. To celebrate the occasion, the Norman Parkinson Archive has granted Arena access to its entire collection of over 350,000 negatives. Arena presents an amusing and visually stunning profile of this uniquely talented man with original contributions from his colleagues and admirers including Jerry Hall, Iman, Grace Coddington (American Vogue), Celia Hammond, Nena Thurman and Carmen dell’ Orefici – the world’s oldest working supermodel. The Arena film is broadcast on BBC2 on Sunday, 21 April 2013 (see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01s40mv) 

A man of great charisma and a true English eccentric, Arena examines Park’s larger-than-life persona, and considers how his well-rehearsed eccentricities were deployed to reassure the uneasy sitter and disarm the experienced model. Once described as an ‘elegant giraffe’, Parkinson, who was 6’5”, sported a twirling moustache, liked to dress in kaftans, loud beach shirts, heavy gold jewellery and a Kashmiri bridal cap.

He grew up in a semi-detached house in Putney, South London, and failed to distinguish himself at Westminster School. After an apprenticeship with a declining firm of staid court photographers in Bond Street, he set up his own London studio at the age of just twenty-one. One of a new generation of heterosexual photographers, he was among the first to 'get girls to run and jump and let the air through their knees' and to photograph them on buses and in pubs rather than the genteel confines of the studio. Parkinson concentrated on taking pictures of beautiful women. 'Being photographed is a whole section of a woman’s identity' he claimed, and felt they should always be flattered by the camera.

Filmed in New York and London, the Arena documentary presents an abundance of glamorous images and explores the life and times of ‘Parks’, heir to Cecil Beaton and precursor of David Bailey, whose singular ability to tune into the vibe of the times meant he outlasted all his peers and never went out of fashion. Parkinson became the Royal Family’s favourite photographer and brought a new informality to their portraits. The documentary includes BBC archive material and interviews with Parks dating back to 1965.

In his later years, (describing himself 'I look like a decaying colonel'), he further distinguished himself with his Mr Porkinson’s sausages, which he produced on the pig farm at his Tobago dream home and would sometimes smuggle back to England wrapped in pairs of socks. In 1990, he collapsed on a location shoot for luxury magazine Town & Country and died a few days later, aged 76.                                                                                                                   

In addition The Norman Parkinson Archive is working exclusively with Bath in Fashion 2013 to stage a unique centenary exhibition (13 April-12 May) which will celebrate one of Britain’s most influential and idiosyncratic fashion photographers. The free exhibition has been curated by high profile fashion designer, Roland Mouret.  See: http://tinyurl.com/brn2k4o. 

Image: © The Norman Parkinson Archive 

The head of Bradford's National Media Museum, Jo Quinton-Tulloch, responds to a series of questions from The Guardian newspaper. Read the piece here. 

A project using Google hopes to map worldwide photographic preservation projects in order to strengthen photographic preservation efforts across the world. A Google Map of World Wide Photographic Preservation Projects can be found by clicking here. This Google map is designed to record our progress in working collaboratively and across boarders to preserve the world's photographic heritage.  As a tool, this map is designed to inspire and facilitate future international collaborations in education and training, collection assessments, conservation treatment, research, digitization and much more. More information can be found here.

This map was first presented by Debra Hess Norris at the 2013 joint Winter Meeting of the American Institute for Conservation Photographic Materials Group (AIC-PMG) and the International Council of Museums Conservation Committee Photographic Materials Working Group (ICOM-CC PMWG) in Wellington, New Zealand.

Map Pin Keys for Types of Projects: Collaborative projects are listed by city and country in the left column of the map.  By clicking on one of the projects, the viewer is brought to that location on the map and more detail about the project is revealed.

How to add content. We encourage you to add your collaborative projects to this map. Anyprojects connecting two or more countries are welcome to be represented.  Please organize your project information to mimic the example format along with your project's web-link if available, and email this information to Debra Hess Norris (e: dhnorris@artsci.udel.edu) or Megan Kirschenbaum (e: meganjane123@gmail.com) Example Format:

    1.  Location: City/Country

    2.  Project Title:

    3.  Type of Project: (preventive care or education and training

        or treatment and documentation or research and analysis)

    4.  Engagement Dates:

    5.  Collaborator: (agencies, institutions, etc.)

    6.  Funders: (if relevant)

    7.  Project's Primary Goal: (one sentence or so only)

Future Goals. We hope that this map will serve as a resource as we work together to strengthen photographic preservation efforts across all continents and to imagine new initiatives aimed at building capacity and knowledge in underserved regions of the world.

Only in England: Photographs by Tony Ray-Jones and Martin Parr. Between 1966 and 1969 Tony Ray-Jones created a body of photographic work documenting English customs and identity. Humorous yet melancholy, these photographs were a departure from anything else being produced at the time. They quickly attracted the attention of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), London where they were exhibited in 1969. Tragically, in 1972, Ray-Jones died from Leukaemia aged just 30. However, his short but prolific career had a lasting influence on the development of British photography from the 1970s through to the present.

In 1970, Martin Parr, a photography student at Manchester Polytechnic, had been introduced to Ray-Jones. Inspired by him, Parr produced The Non-Conformists, shot in black and white in Hebden Bridge and the surrounding Calder Valley. This project started within two years of Ray-Jones death and demonstrates his legacy and influence.

The exhibition will draw from the Tony Ray-Jones archive, held by the National Media Museum.  Around 50 vintage prints will be on display alongside an equal number of photographs which have never previously been printed. Martin Parr has been invited to select these new works from the 2700 contact sheets and negatives in the archive. Shown alongside these are Parr’s early black and white work, unfamiliar to many, which has only ever previously been exhibited in Hebden Bridge itself and at Camerawork Gallery, London in 1981.

Tony Ray-Jones was born in Somerset in 1941. He studied graphic design at the London School of Printing before leaving the UK in 1961 to study on a scholarship at Yale University in Connecticut, US. He followed this with a year long stay in New York during which he attended classes by the influential art director Alexey Brodovitch, and became friends with photographers Joel Meyerowitz and Garry Winogrand. In 1966 he returned to find a Britain still divided by class and tradition. A Day Off- An English Journal, a collection of photographs he took between 1967-1970 was published posthumously in 1974 and in 2004 the National Media Museum held a major exhibition, A Gentle Madness: The Photographs of Tony Ray-Jones.

Martin Parr was born in Epsom, Surry in 1952. He graduated from Manchester Polytechnic in 1974 and moved to Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, where he established the ‘Albert Street Workshop’, a hub for artistic activity in the town. Fascinated by the variety of non-conformist chapels and the communities he encountered in the town he produced The Non-Conformists. In 1984 Parr began to work in colour and his breakthrough publication The Last Resort was published in 1986. A Magnum photographer, Parr is now an internationally renowned photographer, filmmaker, collector and curator, best-known for his highly saturated colour photographs critiquing modern life.

Only in England: Photographs by Tony Ray-Jones and Martin Parr. The exhibition will run at Media Space, Science Museum from 21 September 2013 – 16 March 2014. The exhibition will then be on display at the National Media Museum from 22 March – 29 June 2014.

The exhibition is curated by Greg Hobson, curator of Photographs at the National Media Museum, and Martin Parr has been invited to select works from the Tony Ray-Jones archives.

Greg Hobson, curator of Photographs at the National Media Museum says, ‘The combination of Martin Parr and Tony Ray-Jones’s work will allow the viewer to trace an important trajectory through the history of British photography, and present new ways of thinking about photographic histories through creative use of our collections.’

Martin Parr says, ‘Tony Ray-Jones’ pictures were about England. They had that contrast, that seedy eccentricity, but they showed it in a very subtle way. They have an ambiguity, a visual anarchy. They showed me what was possible.’

Media Space is a collaboration between the Science Museum (London) and the National Media Museum (Bradford). Media Space will showcase the National Photography Collection of the National Media Museum through a series of exhibitions. Alongside this, photographers, artists and the creative industries will respond to the wider collections of the Science Museum Group to explore visual media, technology and science.
 
The Principal Founding Sponsor of Media Space is Virgin Media after whom the Studio will be named. A major donor to the project is the Dana and Albert R Broccoli Foundation set up by the family of the late Bond producer. Media Space has also received generous support in the form of donations or artworks from a large number of individuals, companies and artists.

21 September 2013 – 16 March 2014, Media Space, Science Museum.

With support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Autograph ABP is recruiting for a full time Archive Project Coordinator.

Working closely with the Archive Manager, the post holder will coordinate our new three-year Heritage Lottery Funded (HLF) project, The Missing Chapter – an initiative designed to expand the scope of Autograph ABP’s existing collection, take its Photography Archive out of the gallery context, and into direct engagement with different audiences through a dedicated programme of activities and outputs.

The role is designed to:

• Coordinate the overall professional development, delivery and facilitation of the Missing Chapter project
• Develop and maintain relationships with key organisations, institutions and individuals collaborating on the project
• Manage a series of projects and programmes, including a range of research and participatory outreach activities offered throughout the development and delivery phases of the project
• Implement and manage 18 short-term internships over a three-year period
• Support the development, promotion and maintenance of Autograph ABP’s photography collection

The post holder will be expected to work closely with the Autograph ABP Outreach Coordinator on key aspects associated with audience engagement and delivery of public programme activities as part of the Missing Chapterproject.

The person appointed will have a minimum of 3 years professional experience managing projects within the arts, media or heritage sectors.

For a detailed person specification and key responsibilities, refer to the full job application pack.

Autograph ABP is an international, non-profit-making, photographic arts organisation established in 1988 to educate the public in photography through addressing issues of cultural identity and human rights, supported by Arts Council England.

More information: click here.

Orientalist Museum in Doha has an opportunity for a curator of photography collection with several years experience to undertake the management of the museum collection.

Successful candidates will be required to manage the photography collection including, but not limited to, attention to proper storage and conservation needs and to research of the collection, incorporating new information into the museum database, exhibitions and publications; plan, design, and execute the photography exhibition program in collaboration with the Orientalist museum research team, plan exhibition installation design and assist with the actual installation as necessary; supervises presentation of traveling exhibitions scheduled by the Orientalist Museum. Conducts ongoing research on the Museum's photography collections. Works collegially with curators in overlapping disciplines on matters of mutual interest. Develops exhibitions and installations from the Museum's permanent collection. Conducts research, selects objects, and works with registrars on coordination of loan agreements, packing and shipping, and other exhibition details. Writes catalogues, brochures, and other publications; writes exhibition wall labels and extended object labels. Develop the photography collection as a research resource for local and international scholars. Work closely with the education department and supervise the docent training as it pertains to the interpretation of photography exhibitions. Foster collaborative projects within the museum and with international museums and related cultural and educational organizations. Perform other duties assigned by the Director of the Orientalist museum.

See: http://www.museumjobs.com/jobdetails.php?JobID=7588

The Royal Photographic Society's Historical group is presentating a day of reconstructions and demonstrations on 7 July in Bath...Roger Smith, a member of the Scientific Instrument Society has made a facsimile of the Wolcott and Johnson mirror camera, following as closely as possible the patent filed by Richard Beard.  David Burder will use the camera to demonstrate the daguerreotype process. This is probably the first time that a Wolcott camera has been used to make a daguerreotype since the early 1840s. 

There will be other demonstrations of early processes and prints, including wet-plate collodion (Guy Brown) and the bromoil process (Brian Iddon). Examples of prints resulting from some of the early processes will be provided by Donald Stewart.

This is a day devoted to notoriously unpredictable  processes - nothing is promised but an exciting day out.

The cost of £15 for non-Group members and booking is essential as space is limited.  

To see more and to book click here.

The proceedings of a conference that examined three plates from The Royal Photographic Society’s Collection by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce dating from c1826-27 have been published. The investigation by the National Media Museum and Getty Conservation Institute re-wrote photographic history and revealed a hitherto unknown photographic process.

In October 2010 the National Media Museum, Bradford, held a major conference, supported by The Royal Photographic Society, to present the findings from an extensive investigation into three plates by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce contained within the Society’s Collection. The conference brought together specialists from different areas ranging from conservators, to historians of picture frames, paper and fingerprints, as well as photographic historians. Exciting new findings were presented about the plates which rewrote the photographic history books. They revealed for the first time that the plates were the result of three different processes including a previously unknown photographic process.

The majority of the papers from the conference have been published by The Society’s Historical Group in a special edition of The PhotoHistorian and a one-off issue of The Society’s Imaging Science Journal totalling some 93 pages.  These are available as a set only in a commemorative folder for £20 including UK and worldwide postage.

The proceedings can be ordered via The Society website by clicking the link www.rps.org/niepce or by contacting The Royal Photographic Society on +44 (0)1225 325733 or reception@rps.org

Here is a singular opportunity to expand the vision of an important, multi-faceted centre that is not only a major gallery, but also an academic force in the world of photographic arts: a growing collection and an exhibition space that has inspired the creation of groundbreaking new works, publications and touring exhibitions. Since its opening in September 2012, more than 150,000 people have visited the Ryerson Image Centre. Situated at the heart of the university campus in downtown Toronto, this 4,500 square foot facility is dedicated to the exhibition, research, study and teaching of photography and related disciplines, including new media, installation art and film. It is home to an amazing trove of photographic works, highlighted by the world-renowned Black Star Collection of some 292,000 photographs. The Centre has Canada’s largest photographic teaching collection, a growing number of photographers’ archives, and a broad selection of moving image media.

Your inclusive, high energy leadership of the Ryerson Image Centre will expand its profile among Ryerson students, Toronto’s public and the international art community. As the Centre’s Director and chief relationship developer and a key fundraiser, one of your priorities will be to expand upon the many international partnerships already in place and create a visionary strategic plan that embraces the interests of multiple stakeholders. Reporting to the University Provost, you’ll be an advocate of the Centre’s academic mission as you put a significant focus on scholarly exhibitions, managing and building the research collection and supporting research. In addition to your role as champion of the Ryerson Image Centre, you will also add best practices and sound fiscal management to the organization while supporting progressive development of your team.

An accomplished organizational leader and advocate, you will also bring a zeal for the arts and academia to this administrative and entrepreneurial role.

To be considered for this position, please submit your resume and related information online by selecting where you heard about the role and clicking “Add to List” below.

For questions, please contact Margaret Vanwyck in the Toronto office at +1 416-366-1990.

See: http://www.odgersberndtson.ca/ca/executive-opportunities/11566/

The Kraszna-Krausz Foundation is proud to announce the short and long lists for its annual awards for photography and moving image books.  The Foundation also reveals Thames and Hudson Chairman Thomas Neurath as the recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Publishing award.

Established in 1985, the KKF Book Awards are the UK’s leading prizes for books published in the fields of photography and the moving image and the two winners share a £10,000 prize.  The judges have shortlisted books ranging from heavy tomes to small paperbacks, each with outstanding pictorial and literary content and exceptional production.  With the proliferation of self-publishing and e-books, the need for traditional publishers to create beautifully crafted books with cutting edge content is more urgent than ever.

Best Photography Book Award

The award was judged by photography specialist and curator Zelda Cheatle (chair), Guardian photography critic and writer Sean O’Hagan and photographer Paul Graham.  The panel selected:

Shortlist – from which one winner will be chosen

• Everything Was Moving: Photography from the 60s and 70s by Kate Bush (Barbican Art Gallery) [BPH's tip for the winner] 
• Billy Monk by Billy Monk (Dewi Lewis)
• War / Photography: Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath byAnne Wilkes Tucker, Will Michels and Natalie Zest (Yale University Press)

Longlist

• Algeria by Dirk Alvermann (Steidl)
• Uncle Charlie by Marc Asnin (Contrasto)
• Chris Killip: arbeit / work by David Campany and Ute Eskildsen (Steidl)
• On the Mines by David Goldblatt and Nadine Gordimer (Steidl)
• Faking It: Manipulated Photography before Photoshop by Mia Fineman (Metropolitan Museum of Art) (see illustration)
• Sarah Angelina Acland: First lady of Colour Photography by Giles Hudson (Bodleian Library, University of Oxford)
• Mikhael Subotzky: Retinal Shift by Mikhael Subotzky and Anthea Buys (Steidl)

Of the 10 short and long listed books Zelda Cheatle comments: “Our highly commended books include contemporary work, exhibition catalogues, a beautiful little paperback and turn of the century discoveries.  Every book was thought about, mulled over and the agonising process of elimination or inclusion enacted.  So many of the books were magnificent: we were glad to include Sarah Angelina Acland and her (previously-unknown) spectacular colour images, Marc Asnin’s Uncle Charlie with its 30 years of work and Chris Killip: arbeit, a master photographer, all discussed at length.   Each and every one of the books on this list is a winner for this judging panel.”

Best Moving Image Book Award

Chaired by BFI Creative Director Heather Stewart, the Moving Image panel was completed by Nev Pierce, Editor-at-Large, Empire magazine and Dr. Julian Petley, Professor of Screen Media, Brunel University.   The panel chose:

Shortlist - from which one winner will be chosen

• 39 Steps to the Genius of Hitchcock by James Bell, editor (British Film Institute)
• First Films of the Holocaust: Soviet Cinema and the Genocide of the Jews, 1938-46 by Jeremy Hicks (University of Pittsburgh Press)
• Hollywood Costume by Deborah Nadoolman Landis (V&A Publishing)

Longlist

·         Audiences: Defining and Interpreting Screen Entertainment Reception by Ian Christie, ed. (Amsterdam University Press)

·         The James Bond Archives by Paul Duncan (Taschen)

·         Ealing Revisited by Mark Duguid et al (British Film Institute)

·         The Art and Making of the Dark Knight Trilogy by Jody Duncan Jesser and Jannine Pourroy (Abrams)

·         Behind the Scenes at the BBFC: Film Classification from the Silver Screen to the Gilded Age by Edward Lamberti (Palgrave Macmillan)

·         The Cinema of Tarkovsky: Labyrinths of Space and Time by Nariman Skakov (I.B. Tauris)

·         Publisher Ilex for the 2012 books from their series Filmcraft: Costume Design, Production Design, Editing, Cinematography, Directing

Talking about the books, Heather Stewart commented: “The standard of the ten publications on the list was as high as ever, and the shortlisting of the top three was extremely difficult”. 

The 20 short and long listed photography and moving image books will be displayed at Somerset House, London from 26 April – 12 May as part of the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition.

The Best Photography Book and Best Moving Image Book winners will be announced on 25 April as part of the Sony World Photography Awards Gala Ceremony at The Hilton, London.  The Photography and Moving Image winners will share £10,000 in prize money."

On the same night, the National Media Museum First Book Award, in partnership with MACK, will be announced.  The award supports the production of a book of previously unpublished work and is supported by the Wilson Centre for Photography, the Kraszna-Krausz Foundation, the John Kobal Foundation and Pierre Brahm.

Outstanding Contribution to Publishing

In recognition of his championing of both photography and moving image books, the Kraszna-Krausz Foundation is delighted to announce Thomas Neurath as the recipient of its Outstanding Contribution to Publishing award.

Thomas Neurath, Chairman of Thames & Hudson, one of a handful of still independent medium-to-large size British publishers, has been personally in charge of the programme of photography titles at the company since the 1960's when he first worked with such eminent practitioners as Brassai and Cartier-Bresson.  Soon thereafter T&H was introducing American photographers including Penn, Avedon and Bruce Davidson to book collectors and other enthusiasts outside the U.S.A.

Pioneering historians of the genre such as Helmut Gernsheim found a sympathetic publishing home at T&H as do figures from the art and museum world for whom photography has been and is a significant medium of their artistic practice - Richard Long, Sophie Ristelhueber, David Hockney and Sean Scully to cite some names.

Thames & Hudson issues some 180 new visual titles each year.  Photo-agencies such as Magnum, major magazine groups including Condé Nast, the contemporary gallery scene, collaborations with fellow publishers such as Robert Delpire or Gerhard Steidl and wherever possible direct working relationships with the photographers continue to contribute to this programme. "Concerned and passionate publishers" is how Martine Franck described the Neurath family and Thames and Hudson on the occasion of its 60th anniversary.

Upon awarding Neurath with this prize Michael G Wilson, Chair of the Kraszna-Krausz Foundation comments: “Thomas Neurath's passion for books, artists and ideas is evidenced by the incredible range of photographic and moving image titles in the Thames and Hudson catalogue.  The Kraszna-Krausz Foundation is pleased to honour Mr. Neurath for his long-standing commitment to producing excellent and innovative titles across the breadth and depth of publishing on lens-based media."

Neurath is the third recipient of the KKF Outstanding Contribution to Publishing award.  Gerhard Steidl received the award in its inaugural year, 2011, followed by Dewi Lewis in 2012.

The British Journal of Photography reports on the use of Flickr as tool by museums and archives. It quotes Emma Thom, senior web content co-ordinator at the National Media Museum (NMM) in Bradford...

The Commons has expanded the concept of what a museum is. “It used to be the case that museums were seen as four walls – and it’s great if people want to come and look at what we’ve got – but this is an opportunity to take the museum to other people. We’re taking an integrated approach, working with curators and collections teams, to have a stronger web presence, linking our postings to The Commons to our programmes.”

The “no known copyright restrictions” category devised to cover postings to The Commons might have rung alarm bells in the minds of some rights holders, particularly those campaigning against the Orphan Works proposals contained in the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill making its way through the British Parliament.

But, according to Thom, copyright issues have not had a big impact on what the NMM is able to do. “Our emphasis is on sharing pictures that are copyright-free – that is what The Commons is all about – and we have thousands of photographs that are out of copyright.” The same is true for many of the other member institutions, with large numbers of images out of copyright or – as is the case of the National Archives (which has some six million) and the Library of Congress – with collections that are largely Government-generated and covered by Crown Copyright or its US equivalent.

The National Media Museum's FLickr stream is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalmediamuseum/

Read more: http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/report/2250132/shared-history-the-commons-initiative-celebrates-its-fifth-anniversary#ixzz2O8wziiya 

The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions has released its 2012 numbers. The National Media Museum, Bradford, shows a small increase in numbers which reflects the opening of new galleries. In 2012 the museum received 504000 visitors compared to 486668 in 2011. 

The chart shows the 2008-2012 ALVA numbers for the museum.

Wesleyan University's Associate Professor Jennifer Tucker has been selected for a Fulbright-U.S. Scholar Award, through which she will spend eight months at the University of York in England from December.

Tucker is a historian of British science, technology and medicine, specializing in the study of the connections among British science, photography and the visual arts from 1850 to 1920. At the University of York, she will complete work on her second book, tentatively titled,Facing Facts: The Tichborne Cause Célèbre and the Rise of Modern Visual Evidence. She also plans to begin preliminary research toward her next book project, which will trace the social history of Victorian scientific and popular visual depictions of the ocean life before and after the HMS Challenger expedition (1872-1876), which laid foundations for the modern science of oceanography.

Tucker previously studied in England as a Marshall Scholar at the University of Cambridge. She received an M.Phil degree from the University of Cambridge in 1990.

As a Fulbright scholar, Tucker will finish the writing of her second book in conversation with members of the scholarly community in the University of York’s Department of History of Art. The book is the first historical account of the circulation of visual evidence (photos, engravings, cartoons, and newspaper illustrations) in the high-profile 19th century trials of Arthur Orton, a butcher from Australia who claimed to be Sir Roger Charles Tichborne, the missing heir to an aristocratic English estate.

“The Tichborne affair is best known today as a case of imposture, identity, and disputed inheritance that attracted strong working class support and led to the dissolution of the Court of Chancery in 1875. My study will show that the Tichborne affair was also an overlooked landmark in the history of Victorian visual culture,” Tucker wrote in her application for the Fulbright Scholarship.

At York, Tucker also will begin preliminary research for her next major book project using photographic archives in York and the National Media Museum in Bradford and, she hopes, materials from the London Stereoscopic Company in the private collection of guitarist and songwriter, Brian May, from the British rock band, Queen.

“The University of York has remarkable intellectual and archival resources related to my scholarly projects and core teaching interests. In addition to the University’s extraordinary expertise in 19th century British history of art and visual culture and related fields, it is within an hour of the leading archive for British photographic history, the National Media Museum in Bradford: home to the National Photography, Cinematography, Television and New Media Collections,” Tucker writes in her application. “The National Media Museum is a vast repository of primary and archival materials that are invaluable for the 19th century photographic historian, including thousands of historical photographs, specimens of photographic processes from 1839 to the present, camera technologies, and rare surviving 19th century photographic journals, letters and photographic studio records.”

Read more here: http://newsletter.blogs.wesleyan.edu/2013/03/11/tuckerfulbright/

Scotland-based Elmwood has been selected to carry out fit out works for Media Space at the London Science Museum.

The new galleries are the result of a collaboration between the National Media Museum in Bradford and the London Science Museum, and will include 500 sq m of temporary exhibition space, a 290 sq m flexible studio space for installations and events, and a café bar area designed to take the venue from day into night.

Work is already underway on the new venue. Says Contracts Director Stewart Arnott: “Elmwood has been contracted to carry out the enabling and shellworks for the new venue, ranging from M&E installation, air handling plant, and power and data installation, through to joinery, bespoke furniture, floor and wall finishes, lighting and graphics.

“Each element has to be carried out with sensitivity to the live environment and in accordance with strict criteria. So we’re working extremely closely with both the client and design team to ensure we bring the project in on time, within budget and to a flawless finish.”

Once complete, Media Space is expected to host two major exhibitions and a series of installations and events each year.

See: http://www.elmwoods.com/news/new-newspage-12/

Image: Kate Elliott / Science Museum

In 1862, the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) was sent on a four-month educational tour of the Middle East, accompanied by the British photographer Francis Bedford (1815-94). This exhibition documents his journey through the work of Bedford, the first photographer to travel on a royal tour. It explores the cultural and political significance Victorian Britain attached to the region, which was then as complex and contested as it remains today. 

In 1922, an appeal went out from the Royal Photographic Society to suitably recognise the inventor of photography, William Henry Fox Talbot.  Many photographers were happy to join in the subscription and more than £200 was raised (equivalent to about £10,000 today).  In September 1924 the bronze and marble memorial was unveiled in the library of the Society’s headquarters, 35 Russell Square (near the British Museum).  It was crafted by George Hawkings, a monumental sculptor then based in Shepherds Bush, London.  He was President of the Hampshire House Photographic Society, a pioneer in the use of colour photography, and a fine worker in photogravure.  When he died in 1937, he merited a full page obituary in The Photographic Journal.

below: from the British Journal of Photography – the size of the memorial is not recorded 

In 1938, the Society realised that it was losing its lease on Russell Square and sought out a new home, finally settling on an address in Princes Gate.  The move was accomplished early in 1939 and by July the Society’s former quarters had been demolished.

Astonishingly, the last record of the Talbot memorial that I have been able to trace was a proud mention in Hawkings’s 1937 obituary.  Even though 1939 celebrated the centenary of photography, and Miss Matilda Talbot spoke to the Society about her grandfather, nothing was said about moving the memorial.  It would seem astonishing that such a recent and popular piece of history would have been left behind that year – it would not have been difficult or expensive to move – yet nobody that I have spoken to who was familiar with Princes Gate or any of the subsequent Society headquarters has any memory of it.  No published mention of it has been traced after the 1937 obituary.

If anyone has any information on the fate of this memorial, it would be appreciated.  If anyone spots any published reference to it after 1937, that could be very helpful.

many thanks

Larry J Schaaf

right: what was left of the Society’s Russell Square headquarters by July 1939 – BJP

March at the History and Theory of Photography Research Centre:

Seminar:

Louise Purbrick, 'Traces of Nitrate: Archives and Landscapes between Britain and Chile'

Monday, 11 March, 6-7.30pm, Keynes Library (Room 114), 

School of Arts, Birkbeck, 43 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PD

This seminar is related to the exhibition Traces of Nitrate: Some Documents

11-15 March 2013, Pelz Room, School of Arts, Birkbeck, 43 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PD

An exhibition of the photographic work in progress of the AHRC funded Traces of Nitrate project developed at the University of Brighton by Ignacio Acosta, Louise Purbrick and Xavier Ribas 

(http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/projects/traces-of-nitrate)

Gallery Talk

Traces of Nitrate: Mining history and photography between Britain and Chile

Friday, 15 March, 1-2 pm, Pelz Room, School of Arts, Birkbeck, 43 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PD

History and Theory of Photography Reading Group.

On 18 March 2013, 6-7:30 pm, we'll discuss the first chapter 'Sacred Monuments of the Nation's Growth and Hope' and the last 'Afterlives and Legacies' from Elizabeth Edwards, The Camera as Historian: Amateur Photographers and Historical Imagination, 1885-1918 (Duke University Press, 2012). Room 112, School of Arts, Birkbeck, 43 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PD

Forthcoming events in May (all in the School of Art, 43 Gordon Square)

01/05/13 - Next reading group, the text will be decided in March, let us know if you have any requests, room 112. 

08/05/13 - Seminar: Graham Smith, 'Rauschenberg's use of photographs in his Combines of the 1950s', Keynes Library.

09/05/13 - Seminar: Magnus Bremmer, 'The Making of a Cloud Observer: On the 19th Century Photographic Cloud-Atlas', Keynes Library.

All our events are free and open to all. Details on 

http://www.bbk.ac.uk/arts/our-research/centres/photography

Further information and images on our blog:

http://photographyresearchcentre.blogspot.co.uk/

Patrizia Di Bello (Dr),

Senior Lecturer, History and Theory of Photography

Birkbeck, University of London,

www.bbk.ac.uk/art-history

The advancement of photo-historical research by prospective curators from the Netherlands or abroad using the original photographs in the National Photo Collection in the Rijksmuseum.

The Manfred & Hanna Heiting Fund enables the Rijksmuseum to award two scholarships every year. The aim of this postgraduate scholarship is to stimulate photo-historical research of the highest quality. The research must result in an article in the field of classical photography. It should be related to the original objects in the extensive and important collection of the Rijksmuseum, and where possible to objects in other collections. This could be an in-depth study of one photograph or photo book and/or its distribution; on a series of photographs or part of an oeuvre; on the aesthetic or technical aspects of photography; on the wider context of a photo book or album; or on combinations of art-historical research and research on materials and techniques . The international research bursary is for a period of 6 months. The researcher will work independently and will be allocated a place in the reading room of the Rijksprentenkabinet (Print Room) and have access to all the museum’s collections and library.

Subject: Call for applicants, Manfred and Hanna Heiting Fund: Photo-historical Research Programme, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam announces the research programme for photo-historical Research in the Print Room of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. Funding for this project has been provided by the Manfred and Hanna Heiting Fund: two grants per annum, for the duration 6 months per grant, over a new period of 5 years.

Aim: to research subject(s) – photographs (19th, as well as 20th century photography), series, photo books, albums- in the National Photo-collection at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.

Requirements for applicants: Talented post-graduates in Art History or the History of Photography.

Required result: a paper or an article, to be submitted, resulting in a publication in the series Rijksmuseum Studies in Photography.

Starting : We want to start summer 2013  in the premises of the Print Room/Library/ of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. Applicants can work in the Study Room of the Print Room of the Rijksmuseum.

Advertisement: The advertisement is attached to this mail. Proposals to be written in English!

Closing date for proposals : 15^th of May  https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/organisation/vacancies/manfred-and-hanna-heiting-scholarship

The National Media Museum has launched a series of 90 second video bites. In the first of the series Colin Harding talks about Francis Bedford.

See: http://nationalmediamuseum.tumblr.com/post/44300693721/francis-bedford-in-90-seconds